Japanese bullish on Cebu ice cream biz

CEBU, Philippines - “Cebu has very good environment for ice cream business.”

This was revealed by Toshiki Shimaya, corporate director of Soft Ice Magic-Japan, Incorporated. “In my opinion, the business climate here is characterized by favorable economic prospects’” he said, adding that an ice cream business in Cebu would prove to be potentially profitable.

“I have been back and forth in Cebu for so many reasons and one of which is that I am considering this City for my retirement,” he narrates. “My love for sweets brought me to consider bringing the latest ice cream craze in Japan to Cebu, the slow-melt ice cream,” he added.

“My studies and consultation proved that Cebu has a very good market for a high quality, slow-melt and healthy ice cream. With my friend, Eric Vincent Casas, we thought of Sakura Cream Cebu, Inc.”

“We agreed that to be at an advantageous end, we will have authentic Japanese flavours. I have made arrangement with a company in Japan to provide us with high quality cherry blossoms, mocha (rice cake) and matcha (green tea). These will be our flagship flavors. I am personally excited because we will be introducing to Cebu cherry blossoms in ice cream,” Shimaya grins.

“Another important aspect in Sakura Cream Cebu, Inc operations is the infusion of slow-melt technology in ice cream. This is relatively new in Japan and it has taken a phenomenal tide. As soya products, such as soya milk and tofu, are very popular in Japan and in any Asian countries, its by-product in the processing contains high dose of fibre and proteins. This is called okara paste. Processed separately, this paste is used to add value to certain baked goods and other foods, including ice cream. Okara paste holds the ice cream longer. This is what slow-melt soft-cream is all about. And this is the kind of ice cream we are bringing to Cebu,” he said.

“Okara paste is rich in soy fibre and protein. Because it is soya-based, Sakura Cream is a nutritious and healthy ice cream. For those people who are conscious about their health, and maybe they are lactose intolerant, this ice cream is for them,” he announced proudly.

“With everything else showing positive signs, we see Sakura Cream as the first choice when it comes to high quality, deliciously nutritious and healthy ice cream once we open our banner quality-concept store in mid-September this year. In the long term, we want Sakura Cream franchised all over the country,” says Shimaya, finance and banking consultant in Japan.

“The formula may seem simple but it is quite a challenge. With standards like incomparable food quality, outstanding customer service and uncompromising food safety and hygiene, we feel that the operations of Sakura Cream must be customer-driven, with consistently superior food quality. We want customer satisfaction to be the foundation of repeat store visits. In fact, based on common experience, customer satisfaction is the important step toward effective sales building. That is why we value professional integrity in our personnel, teamwork, product as well as service excellence and concern for the environment.”  (FREEMAN)